Bahrain police fire tear gas at banned anti-government protest

A man gets caught in a cloud of tear gas fired by police, in background, as they raid a market place in search of suspected protesters in Manama, Bahrain, Sept. 7, 2012.

Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters

A protester shouts anti-government slogans during a march in downtown Manama, Bahrain, Sept. 7.

MANAMA (Reuters) — Police fired tear gas and stun grenades at dozens of anti-government protesters who defied a ban on unauthorized demonstrations and marched in the center of Bahraini capital Manama on Friday.

Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has been in political turmoil since a protest movement dominated by majority Shi'ite Muslims erupted in February 2011 during a wave of revolts against authoritarian governments across the Arab world.

The Sunni Muslim ruling Al Khalifa family put down the uprising with martial law, troops from Saudi Arabia and police from the United Arab Emirates, but unrest has resumed, with almost daily clashes between Shi'ites and police. Full story…